Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely service worn condition all original example of a late war German Model 42 Steel helmet, with some great period wear. This stamped sheet steel construction helmet retains probably about 40% of its original lightly textured paint, showing wear and oxidation from service. The rear left exterior of the helmet shows quite a bit of pitting, so it may have been lying on that side on a battlefield for a time. This has removed almost all of the finish in that area, and also has resulted in the original Heer Army decal being mostly removed, with only about 15% of the original eagle decal still present. The helmet overall has the fantastic patina that only real wear in the field can give.

The rear interior of the apron has a stamped manufacturer's code and size: ckl60 over lot number 2032, indicating it was manufactured by Eisenhüttenwerk AG of Thale, located in the Harz district in Saxony, Germany. Towards the end of the war, the ET marking was discontinued in favor of three letter code ckl, and moved the marking under the rear skirt. Size 60 is the smallest shell size produced during the war, and can accommodate liners from 52cm to 53cm or US 6 1/2 to 6 5/8. Size 60 shells are VERY hard to find and are therefore more valuable to a collector.

All three liner retaining pins are intact, though most of the original paint has worn away. The interior of the helmet still has the original M31 leather liner, with all 8 fingers still intact, secured at the ends by an original top tie string. The leather has however shrunk around the liner band area, and has tear there as well, while further down the leather is in better condition, still relatively soft. Overall the liner looks to have seen light to moderate use during the war, and the shrinking happened later. The late war issue galvanized steel liner band is marked on the left outer side with 60 n.A. / 53, indicating that the liner band is a size 58, intended for a 66 shell. However, there is a 53 ink stamp in a circle on the leather itself.

It is also faintly maker marked and dated on the other side:

The chin strap is partially intact, and still retains the original buckle, though it is quite rusted. It looks like it is just the longer portion of the chinstrap, which has had the ends stuck between the liner and the liner band. Neither end is attached around the chin strap loops on the liner.

Overall a very nice late-war M42 Former Single Decal Heer Army helmet, completely correct with a great service worn look! M42 helmets of this quality are always the hardest to find on the market. This is an item that will only continue to appreciate in value over time.

The first "modern" steel helmets were introduced by the French army in early 1915 and were shortly followed by the British army later that year. With plans on the drawing board, experimental helmets in the field, ("Gaede" helmet), and some captured French and British helmets the German army began tests for their own steel helmet at the Kummersdorf Proving Grounds in November, and in the field in December 1915. An acceptable pattern was developed and approved and production began at Eisen-und Hüttenwerke, AG Thale/Harz, (Iron and Foundry Works), in the spring of 1916.

These first modern M16 helmets evolved into the M18 helmets by the end of WWI. The M16 and M18 helmets remained in usage through-out the Weimar Reichswehr, (National Defence Force, Circa 1919-1933), era and on into the early years of the Third Reich until the development of the smaller, lighter M35 style helmet in June 1935.

In 1934 tests began on an improved Stahlhelm, whose design was a development of World War I models. The Eisenhüttenwerke company of Thale carried out prototype design and testing, with Dr. Friedrich Schwerd once again taking a hand.

The new helmet was pressed from sheets of molybdenum steel in several stages. The size of the flared visor and skirt was reduced, and the large projecting lugs for the obsolete armor shield were eliminated. The ventilator holes were retained, but were set in smaller hollow rivets mounted to the helmet's shell. The edges of the shell were rolled over, creating a smooth edge along the helmet. Finally, a completely new leather suspension, or liner, was incorporated that greatly improved the helmet's safety, adjustability, and comfort for each wearer. These improvements made the new M1935 helmet lighter, more compact, and more comfortable to wear than the previous designs.

The Army's Supreme Command officially accepted the new helmet on June 25, 1935 and it was intended to replace all other helmets in service.

The M1935 design was slightly modified in 1940 to simplify its construction, the manufacturing process now incorporating more automated stamping methods. The principal change was to stamp the ventilator hole mounts directly onto the shell, rather than utilizing separate fittings. In other respects, the M1940 helmet was identical to the M1935. The Germans still referred to the M1940 as the M1935, while the M1940 designation were given by collectors.

The last wartime upgrade to the standard helmet took place on 6 July 1942 at the request of the Army High Command. The rolled edge found on M1935 and M1940 helmets was discontinued as a measure of economy. On 1 August 1942 the first M1942 helmets were placed into production, and this was the model produced until late in the war, when most factories were captured or stood idle due to material shortages.